Jason Ross
Chinese Daoism began as a Shamanic
tradition. Religious leaders associated themselves with
bears, and would lead the community in inviting spirits, interpreting dreams,
reading omens, rainmaking, healing and celestial divination.
Daoism remained essentially a tribal tradition until the Spring
and Autumn period of the Zhou dynasty when the political turbulence of the
time lead to an intellectual revolution that sparked many of
Although we have practically no
direct historical knowledge of his life, Laozi is
generally credited as creating the school of philosophical Daoism.
As the myth goes Laozi transcended to enlightenment
and then rode out the western border and became an immortal. However, before he departed a guard stopped
him and requested a compilation of his knowledge. Laozi obliged, writing
down 5,000-word treaties that was to become the Daodejing. The guard then became his first disciple.
To this day the Daodejing is widely read, and is often considered
synonymous with Daoism. Laozi’s Daoism stressed the importance of understanding the
natural order of all things, allowing one whom embraced its principles to
live in perfect harmony with the natural world.
Three key concepts of the Daodejing
are as follows.
1.
The Dao is a rather abstract concept.
It is the source of all living things.
It is huge and inexhaustible and the source of life that all things depend
on.
2.
Non-action is one of the most misunderstood concepts of Daoism.
It is not doing nothing at all, rather doing nothing
unnatural, forced, or micromanaging. This
concept is most often applied to sage kings, who best rule a country by not
spoiling it by over meddling.
Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt
Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench
Care about people’s approval and you will be their prisoner
Do your work, then step back
The
only path to serenity”
3. Cultivating life is taught as extremely important to ones longevity. Physical techniques (calisthenics, regulating breath and postures) along with lifestyle and attitude (refraining from activities that roused ones emotions) are discussed.
Shift
in Focus (475-221 BCE)
As the extremely negative sociopolitical
circumstances of
These two figures shifted the focus from a wise sage king, to simply avoiding
all politics because its corrupting nature could not be avoided.
This concept began a key transformation in Daoism. Three principle concepts arose as a result that
remain today:
1. The avoidance of the constraints of society
2. Personal spontaneity, or living your own life according to the Dao (by this time Dao is a neutral force)
3. Extreme individualism - even eccentricity. This grew in importance as Daoist monks became associated with morally upright hermits who, fed up with society, became a symbol of personal integrity.
Synthesis
(1000CE-Present)
One of the key elements that lead
to the successful continuation of Daoism is the fundamental compatibility
of Daoist and Confucian and Buddhist ideals.
All three philosophies - Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism - believe in the
supreme all encompassing force of the Dao / essence/ and the potential of
every individual to reach perfection through self-cultivation, making it possible
for practitioners to find solace in both belief systems.
This basic shared truth has allowed the three to remain in relative harmony,
and created outlets for relieving tensions among displaced scholars, officials,
and intellectuals during troublesome times.
As early as the Tang dynasty attempts had been made to harmonize all
three belief systems, this synthesis has continued throughout the rest of
Chinese history. This became especially true for Confucian scholars
who, disgusted with the society they administered, or simply displaced by
political upheaval would seek a combination of beliefs, or the Daoist image of a morally upright hermit.